Experience Requirements Committee

As per Sections 13(3)b and 13.1(3) of the Architects Act, the Registrar, on their own initiative, can (and on the request of an applicant, shall) refer an application for the issuance of licence or limited licence to the ERC for a determination as to whether the applicant has met the experience requirements prescribed by the regulations for the issuance of licence or limited licence.

Additionally, the Committee will determine as to whether an individual has met the experience requirements prescribed by the regulations for the issuance of licence or limited licence in matters related to Exemption Requests to Council as set out in Section 33 of the regulations.

The Committee comprises the following members appointed by Council:

• at least one elected member of the Council; and
  
• at least three members of the Association who are not on Council.

Typically, an elected member of Council sits as Chair, with OAA staff support provided by the Registrar and the Administrator, Licence and Registration.

The ERC meets approximately nine times a year and operates on a calendar basis. Its work can also be conducted in a spontaneous manner between formal meetings.

To see its current membership, click here.

Once an individual has confirmed acceptance of an assessment interview with the Experience Requirements Committee, they receive the following information five weeks in advance of the assessment interview date:

• confirmation of date, time, and location;
  
• confirmation of assessment platform (virtual or in-person);
  
• guidelines for virtual assessments (if applicable);
  
• request for required documentation;
  
• list of all ERC members (to identify any conflict of interest);
  
• guidelines for applicant questioning; and
  
• summary of grading.

Applicants will be requested to submit the following as part of the application:

• a list of all buildings for which they have been personally involved in the employment and under the personal supervision and direction of an architect—over the past five years—that indicates the type, size, cost, and date for each;
  
• a detailed description of their involvement and specific role on two projects that offer examples of work experience, submitted inclusive of architectural documentation (i.e. construction documents and contract administration material); and
  
• an explanation of how the applicant’s experience is relevant to the practice of architecture in Ontario.
  
  The ERC will examine an individual’s knowledge and skill on many aspects of practice necessary for competent architectural services. The Committee is supplied with the following information in advance of the assessment interview:
  
  
• reason for assessment interview;
• individual’s projects that form part of the assessment documentation (and descriptions);
  
• if available, number of hours completed in Internship in Architecture Program (IAP) inclusive of the Individual’s list of projects from their Canadian Experience Record Book (CERB);
• if available, background information including:
  
  o graduation and degree details;
  o Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) certification number and year granted;
  o Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) results and year(s) passed;
  o OAA Admission Course (year completed);
  o list of projects;
  o breakdown of all reviewed and approved experience including hours, dates, and employer;
  

• Individual’s rationale as to why international experience is relevant to the  competent practice of architecture in Ontario (if applicable); and
  
• current employment.

During the assessment interview, an individual can expect the following sequence of procedures:

1. The Chair reviews the assessment questions and assigns them by sections to the various ERC panel members prior to the individual joining the meeting.
   
2. The individual has five minutes at the beginning of the assessment to introduce themselves and elaborate on their experience, clarify their project submissions, and explain their personal history. The ERC panel may ask questions to seek clarity.
   
3. The assessment interview proceeds in a questions-and-answer manner.
   
4. The individual may have access to Ontario's Building Code, as well as their submitted documents, for reference. Otherwise, it is a closed book assessment, no other material or resources may be used.
   
5. The individual may be asked to sketch building details during the assessment. This may be done virtually via a digital drawing interface or in person with pen and paper—the format will depend on the assessment setting.
   
6. The individual will have the assessment questions displayed and read aloud. Translators may also be made available on request. Responses to the assessment questions are scored by each ERC panel member present within the assessment decision matrix.
   
7. Once the assessment question period is complete, the Chair will ask the individual to recuse themselves while the panel deliberates and makes its determination.
   
8.  The ERC may determine that the individual has met the experience requirements prescribed by the regulations for the issuance of the licence or limited licence or that remedial steps are required. Such steps may include further experience, attendance at courses, or other actions the Committee feels will address areas of demonstrated deficiency.
   
9.  The individual is then asked to rejoin the panel and is presented the ERC determination. This determination requires the vote of a majority of the Committee members present, including those deemed to be present under Paragraph 7 of Subsection 8 (1) of the Act. O. Reg. 287/99, s. 3. The ERC panel’s written determination is subsequently sent to the individual within seven days of the assessment.
10. For assessments related to an exemption request to Council, the individual is excused at the completion of the question period. The subsequent panel recommendation is shared prior to submission to the OAA Council for their consideration.
    

Any individual seeking more information on the Experience Requirements Committee should contact - Camelia Bostan, Administrator Licence and Registration.